Yesterday it was still somewhat foggy - it would lift for a time - I took the opportunity to go for a long walk along the seawall and around Lost Lagoon which provided me with these images - still ice on Lost Lagoon - just the one swan - suspect the remainder must have been over on the other side in the nesting area.

Today was a different story - I hardy went outside as I was intrigued with the proceedings in Washington and the installation of Barak as President - it was fun watching the procession down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House as I had walked that route during my stop over in DC on my way home from my last cruise.

Still foggy and looks like it will be the weekend before it really chances and then it will be back into a rainy and cooler pattern.

Cheers

D

The fog showed some signs of lifting today so I headed out on my bike for a planned ride around Stanley Park - As I reached the start of the seawall this view of the Pan Pacific partly shrouded in fog came into view. Many others had the same idea - while there wasn't a lot of bike traffic =- lots of walkers and joggers - many of the latter trying to catch up with their training for such events as the Sun Run and the Vancouver Marathon which has suffered for the last month because of weather conditions.

Continuing my ride towards the park entrance the sun and fog were playing hide and seek - here are some of the high rises along Georgia Street come into view.

Now in the park I stop by the entrance to Deadman's Island - a naval cadet base where this panorama of the West End is in view.

A favorite place for me to stop and enjoy the views of Burrard Inlet is at the Brockton Point lighthouse - you are now on the north side of the park - that's my bike in the picture.

I had hoped to be able to go all the way around the Seawall but it is still closed do to some slides between the Bridge and Third Beach - so I had to choose whether to climb the road to Prospect Point or head for Beaver Lake - I chose the latter - this view shows that there is still a lot of ice on the lake but a couple of ducks are enjoying a stroll in some open water.

Despite the better weather there are still many reminders of the recent snowfall as seen here on the side of this trail.

By the time I reached the Second Beach part - the fog had reformed so there were no further picture opportunities. After lunch at McDonald's and a read of the newspaper I headed for home with another 14km of biking behind me.

And as is usual shortly after I got home the main downtown core became bathed in sunshine so I took a short walk along Granville

Cheers

D

I was tired of the foggy, soupy weather here in the lowlands so I decided to head on up Grouse to get some sunshine and exercise. As you can see in this image it's foggy down below.

After deciding not to snowshoe because with the school kids on a pro D day the trails were far to busy for my liking - I took the short sleigh ride around the main ski area.

While waiting for the sleigh ride someone had built a snow cave that was attracting interest from some of the kids.

One group prepares to head out on the snowshow trails - your Skyride ticket or Grouse Pass is you admission fee for the trails. There are three or four trails that are groomed by Grouse for us to use.

Anyone who has been up Grouse knows that there are a lot of carved wooden figures on the mountain - because of there location these three stand out - it looks so different with the socked in clouds 3000' below us.

Looking down towards Vancouver harbour with the Vancouver Island mountains in the far distance.

There is a skating rink right by the main ski lodge - the ice was in fairly good shape - almost laced on the skates but decided it was time to think about lunch.

The rest of the day was uneventful.

Tomorrow - perhaps an early bike ride as it is suppose to clear off.

Also finally got the emails out to the FOYPS regarding the work parties - I am half way to my goal of 14 people - will also need to hit the phone tomorrow as some people either don't have email or haven't provided it to us.

I think I have all of my pre-planning complete for the trip - other than packing and deciding what to do with my one day in New Orleans.

Cheers

D

Well things are moving along fairly smoothly - with improving weather I finally got out on the bike and did the False creek loop with a detour over to the Amtrak station to pick up the tickets for the train ride to New Orleans - it took all of two minutes for the agent to plug in my confirmation number and get the tickets printed.

Today I finally finished emptying my storage locker - they have actually started work in some of the rooms and I talked with the contractor so I have a better idea of what the revise space will look like then it was off to have lunch with my brother or at least that was the plan - after arriving at the care home I am told that he has no money in his account - this didn't sound right - he usually spends a fair amount of his monthly money on cigs but I knew that wasn't the case as I brought him some from the duty free on my trip and because of the bad weather I or the other staff haven't taken him out for lunch in the last three weeks - well after asking around and getting the finance gal to check the account it turns out that a debit was entered instead of a credit and he has plenty of money for the remainder of the month - by the time I sorted this out it was to late to take him out as the usual place we eat gets packed around noon and it would be too much for him.

So after having my own lunch I dropped into the Y offices and chatted with the staff for a while and got a better idea of when we might reopened - while the end of the year is possible from a construction point of view it will probably be after the Olympics from a marketing point of view.

Glad I didn't pay to watch that hockey game last night - they may need more than there star goalie back if they don't stat playing a better team game.

I am now starting to work finding volunteers for our next FOYP work party - I will need up to 14 in total - one of the options that I did this year at our AGM was have the members present sign up in advance for the work parties that they might want to work on this year. This should help me fill the spot and also mean less emails and phone calls - already have 6 confirmed and there is about three weeks to go.

Tomorrow I intend to get out on the bike - hope the sun comes our early - hope to do the Stanley Park seawall - need to check to see if it is completely reopened - a section was closed last week because of slides and falling debris.

Also need to get the packing list finalized for the trip.

Almost time for supper

More later

Cheers

D

Good weekend to you all.

I actually haven't been ignoring this blog this week it is just that there hasn't been any earth shattering going on that I needed to post but the following are some thoughts that come to mind.

Raining here today but a spell of nice more spring like weather should arrive about mid-week which means that I will finally be able to get out on the bike and get some good rides in - gotta burn off the Xmas calories before I start on the cruising calories.

I am less than a month away from sailing out of New Orleans down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Haven't started packing but it is on my to do list for next week.

The cleaning out my locker space is progressing - some stuff is getting tossed - some of the camping stuff I have moved to the truck and the remainder I will find room for on either the balcony or in my condo closets.

Finally made contact with my TA - between the bad weather which made travel risky - her office is out in the snow belt and her dealing with some personal family matters - I hadn't had a response to my emails.

I now have my travel insurance taken care off - Amtrak reserved - she still needs to talk to an agent to see if the NCL code applies - it doesn't work when she puts in into her agent system - the hotel for one night in Los Angeles - train layover - is booked.

Next up - revising the packing list - my last trip was a lot longer.

I also need to change my hotel booking in NOLA as I will be arriving a day later but this is creating another problem - when I take out the first day of my reservation it changes the second day to a much higher figure for the one night that it would actually be cheaper to pay for the first night and not show up and then stay for the following two nights.

In looking online I think I have found a smaller heritage hotel right in the French Quarter that looks like it is my price range so I might just cancel the original booking - there is no penalty and book the one in the FQ.

Earlier in the week I had my teeth cleaned and checked - there are a few small cavities that I am going get attended to after I return from the trip.

Also took the truck in for it 72000 KM minor tune up and oil change. No major deficiencies noted - brakes and tires still good for some time yet.

Later today a trip to the gym and then later supper with the usual Saturday night person.

Cheers

Dennis

Not a lot to report on this the third day of the new year except that it is once again snowing here in Vancouver - looks like it will last into the night before changing to rain and then warm up and stay very wet for the next few days - that should finally get rid of the snow and ice on the sidewalks and roads.

Went for a nice walk yesterday down along the eastern portion of False Creek into Yaletown before grabbing a bite to eat and having a steam etc at my fitness club.

One of the projects that I have to tackle in the next week is removing all my stuff from my storage locker to make way for the changes coming there. I was able to find a nice spot for my cedar chest but my big bookcase is being a bit more problematic - I have a place for it but then I will have to find a place for the smaller ones that are currently in that space - oh well at least with the crappy weather it gives me lots of time to contemplate where to rearrange everything.

A second project is to finalize my travel insurance and train reservations for the upcoming cruise.

A third project is to clean out the clothes closet - it seems to be get a little to full and many of the clothes haven't been worm in some time so it is time to give them to charity or homeless shelter.

More later

D

I hadn't intended to do much on New Year's Eve but the weather cleared off so I thought I would check out the condition of the False Creek seawall and took off with my camera and went for a lengthy stroll - as for the condition on the seawall - in places it was clear and in others it was icy - you had to watch your footing - it is unsafe for cyclists and I didn't see any fool hardy ones attempting to cycle it.

I came across this strange sight - it looks like someone was setting up early for a New Years party - the dish in the lower left appears to be a shrimp ring and it looked real - there was no one around the area when I took the picture.

When I made it to this point the seawall was bare as the Parks Board folks are busy clearing away the snow and ice for the Polar Bear Swim on Jan 1, 2008 - the views were great and with the sun out the temperature was pleasant.


I then proceeded along Denman to the entrance to Stanley Park and was appalled at the appearance and condition of the sidewalk and seawall - both were a sheet of ice and haven't been cleared - perhaps a few lawsuits would get the Parks Board to smarten up and clear off this important gateway to the City. It is not like it had snowed the day before - the crews have had several days of snow free weather to get there act together - guess it is more important to clear the snow off the beach at English Bay for the sponsers of the Polar Bear swim than ensure the safety of the taxpaying citizens.

Enough from the soapbox.

After a relaxing steam, shave and shower I met up with the big one for lunch and then went home to watch the Canada - US game - what a great game.

Then it was out for a late supper at a Korean restaurant on Thurlow and then home to watch the ageless wonder Dick Clark and others ring in the New Year.

Was originally planning on hitting the streets of the Entertainment district to catch the action but it started raining/snowing again and I didn't feel like heading out to get wet.

Finally hit the sack after 1AM.

It's now 2009 and I awoke to some more light snow although it appears to now be raining.

There's lots of hockey and football to watch.

Had hoped to hop on the bike and do my traditional ride around the Seawall but the conditions are too unsafe for bike to be on the seawall - I think a section is still closed from the Bridge to Third Beach because of falling ice. If it stops raining this afternoonIi might venture down to English Bay and watch the fool hardy jump into the water.

More later

D

Well it's Monday - the start of the last week of the Year 2008 - while many of us like to reflect back on the year with the shenanigans on Wall Street and most of us retirees taking a severe hit in our portfolios it is probably better to focus on the year ahead and hope a new administration in Washington is as committed to turning things around as they said they would be in the campaign.

What are my plans - well other than the cruise in Feb 09 I haven't planned any major trips for the coming year. With the price of gas dropping to 2004 levels I will perhaps do more short trips within the country.

I may do a Skyline trip in the summer depending on what location they select - if it is White Man Pass I will probably do it as I missed it the last time it was offered do to the wild fires in the summer of 2003.

If not a Skyline trip I am also looking a doing a trip with the Vancouver Natural history society - they have a trip into the South Chilcotin Park Cinnabar Pass and Basin- this is an area I visited back in the early 80's before it became a provincial Park and have wanted to revisit ever since - it runs on a similar format to the Skyliner camps and costs about the same but the associated costs would be a lot less as I can drive to the trailhead in about 6 - 8 hours and no overnight stay in expensive Banff is required.

I will continue to do my volunteer projects - Yellowpoint Lodge, Vancouver Marathon, Dragon Boat races, YMCA Connections and expect to work as an returning officer in the May Provincial election.

The heat is off in the apartment today- just those on the top two floors - as they fix a broken pipe - we are on hot water heat and a pipe burst just down the hall over the holidays - it is not too cold but will be heading out shortly anyways - may have lunch with the big one if he is feeling better but do hope to pay a visit to the gym for a post Xmas workout.

More later

D

Update - removed some of the original comments in this blog.
Today I will be doing some emailing in my role as Work Party coordinator for the Friends of Yellowpoint - they need a small group of about six to take down the decorations just after New Year's so I need to arrange the time for that.

With improving road conditions and weather conditions I just might venture out for a drive but then again there's lots of football and hockey action on as well.

That's enough for now.

Cheers

D

Well it finally has switched over to rain BUT that is causing other problems - like slippery sidewalks and flooding roads as many of the catch basins are under a couple of feet of snow.

The image at the top is from my Nov 2007 trip to Cozumel - it from a beach on the Atlantic side of the Island - more rugged - actually part of a National Park that I visited as part of a bus tour of the Island.

I will be returning to Cozumel on my Feb 09 cruise to the Western Caribbean from New Orleans.

Cheers

D

Well I had hoped to be able to report that the snow had stopped and turned to rain but such is not the case as it is still snowing hard as I type this post.

I did get out to the local stores this morning - lots of Boxing Day shoppers and the electronics store were packed. One item that the price has dropped to my expectations are a couple of LCDHD TV's - there is both a 32" Sony and a 32" Samsung on sale for just under $500.00 and I can get the deluxe HD box for under $400.00 I had hoped to pick one up this afternoon but with the heavy wet stuff still falling I'm not going to get the truck on the road - yes I could take a taxi back with the purchase but the sale prices are in effect until the end of next week so one more day isn't going to make a big difference. Then there is the matter of getting a hold of my cable provider to get the box switched to their service and the HD channels added.

The learning curve is also in effect for my new Blackberry - have the phone #'s plugged in - now starting to add some of my favorite web sites to make browsing easier.

More later

Cheers

D

Vancouver's official Xmas tree at the Old Courthouse on Georgia and Howe Sts

The Olympic countdown clock at Courthouse Square

Snow scene at Plaza at Wall Center on Burrard St

My tree and some of Santa's gifts.

Walking over to have lunch with my brother I took my camera and caught some of these snowy scenes both before and after the lunch.

While the weather has cleared up I still don't feel like heading out to the burbs - still too much snow around and there is a chance for some more in the forecast.

My present to myself was a new Blackberry Pearl cell phone - my existing contract is expiring so I decided to upgrade to this PDA and add data web browsing and email to my contract.

More later

Cheers

D

I don't think anyone is going to be using our sun deck recliners anytime soon!

Looking down onto our inner courtyard from the 9th floor roof.

Southwest view towards Burrard Bridge and Kits Point.

Looking south down Hornby St towards Bridges restaurant - it's the yellow building - on Granville Island.

Well it finally stopped snowing about a half hour ago - there is somewhere between 10 and 15cm at least just on my balcony - here are some scenes from the roof top patio - I was up to my shins in places on the roof terrace just getting these images.

The turkey dinner went off without any major glitches and Jim brought along his new Korean room mate from Korea - it was his first time observing our Xmas tradition - while Korea is 70% Catholic which I was not aware of - he is Buddhist - only his second time having turkey - the first was at Thanksgiving with his then home stay parents.

A small gift exchange took place - I show them some of my video from the recent trip and we just chatted and enjoyed each other company for a few hours.

By 10PM I was once again alone in the apartment and after having an active day called it a day and turned in for some shut eye.

Today I hope to head to the gym for a brief workout and then possibility out to Metrotown with Jim for him to do some last minute shopping - right now the roads aren't great but hopefully they will improve now that it has stopped snowing and the sun is trying to shine.

Cleaned up the mess - dishes etc from last night - even with using paper plates this year I am still looking at 2 loads for the dish washer.

Craved up what is left of the turkey and have enough left over to several meals - we probably make a casserole later in the week.

Gord - if you are reading this - I still have room for your turkey on Xmas day.

More later

Cheers

D

The chair in the courtyard indicates how much snow has fallen so far.

A look at our courtyard and the bikes in the snow.

Rooftop patio looking towards the Burrard Bridge and English Bay.

These images are almost live as I just shot them after getting home from the grocery store. The streets are passable but don't use them if you don't have to.

Now I can sit back await the arrival of the turkey stuffer and watch the snow fall and the football games - the Seahawks are playing in Seattle in an open air stadium so it should be another reason they can use if they lose.

More later

D.

Found this cute seasonal image on another blog site so I am gonna borrow it for a few days - hope Santa won't mind.

Well it did snow overnight and there is around 5cm on my balcony and some light flakes are still coming down but so far it hasn't been all that bad.

Today is the day that the turkey goes in the oven and a few friends are suppose to come over for a full Xmas dinner - I know that Mary Rosie - my godmother and cousin - won't make it - the streets are very slippery by her place and at 80 she is worried about falling - hopefully the others will be able to make it - just as I started to type this post the snow has intensified and I do need to run out to the store for a couple of last minute items.

The way this weather is going I can't wait for the trip to NOLA and the 7 day western Caribbean cruise.

More later

Cheers

D

Well I did adventure out into the cold this morning and it indeed is cold - even with three layers and a toque and gloves I was cold - did stop to take a few pictures - two of which are displayed here.

Most of the sidewalks and even the sea wall have been cleared of at least some of the snow and ice so it wasn't too hard to get around.

Need to go out for supper and then to the liquor store for some beer for the group on Sunday and a couple of final items - like a roasting pan for the the bird and then it will be definitely in for the evening.

Even the apartment is cool - my windows are single paned so they don't hold the heat that well - at least the strata did spend some money earlier in the summer to fix the and clean the boiler so the heat is better than it was last year. I also get the mid day sun at this time of the year so that will warm up the apartment somewhat.

Did three loads of laundry - now just need to put it all away.

Cheers

D

Each year around this time I try to make a trip up Grouse Mt to see the alpine Xmas display but with the current bad road conditions, freezing cold temps and more snow in the forecast I don't know if I will be getting up there this year so these three images are from three previous visits.

It looks like it will stay very cold through the weekend and it will be Xmas before we might see a thaw or a slight warming of the temps.

Attended a small mix and mingle with some of the other members of my Health Spa last night - a couple of glasses of beer and some appys.

Also spent a couple of hours on Wednesday with Tom and the grandchildren at Pacific Center Mall.

Gonna go for a short walk along the water and then a bite to eat and a few more items for the dinner party on Sunday. Rosie just phoned to cancel - her street is a sheet of ice and even the taxis don't want to drive on it and with her being 80 she is worried about falling - she even had trouble walking across the street to church so I can't blame her for not being able to attend.

Good to see that the Canucks have won the Sundin sweepstakes - he should be able to help the team out and advance further into the playoffs.

Finally got around to booking some excursions for my Feb 09 cruise - can't wait to get some warmer weather.

More later

Cheers

D

Did I mention in any of my previous posts that it might snow today - well it is coming down pretty good here in downtown Vancouver but other than meeting Tom for lunch at Pacific Center it is a good day to stay inside.

That's me in front of the Xmas tree in the main lounge at Yellowpoint Lodge this past weekend.

Cheers

D

These are some of the chairs that we use to relax on by poolside at Yellowpoint - thought they looked kinda awesome in the snow.

Today I spent some time getting back into the mundane groove of things - with more snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow - in fact it looks cold until the end of the year - I decided it was time to get the shopping done for the Xmas dinner on Sunday so I headed out to the Real Canadian Superstore for that major shopping - I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had utility grade Turkeys on for $1.11 a pound - I still spent over $70.00 on groceries but this is a once a year treat for some of my closest friends and then I headed to my gym for a nice relaxing steam bath.

Time for supper

More later

Cheers

D

It was quite the weekend over at Yellowpoint Lodge - the actual work party, social and meeting went off as planned but the big story was the weather - in the four images in this post you will see how things looked at different times on the weekend. The image at the bottom was taken shortly after I arrived on Friday afternoon - the drive in from the ferry was not a lot of fun - while there is no snow in this photo there was several inches of snow on the road just a few kilos from the lodge and many people were having trouble navigating - I made it okay with my all seasons and standard shiftshift.

Second closest image is taken at lunch time on Saturday and the third one in the evening after it started to snow - the top picture shows how much snow had fallen by Sunday noon - the main photo on the page is how it looked after it started to clear off late Sunday afternoon.

By then I had made a decision to stay for another night - several others in the group also decided against trying to drive even a short distance home.

Once the snow stopped and it cleared it turned very cold and the roads became compact snow and ice - I left the Lodge about 9AM on Monday for the 10:30AM ferry - this drive usually takes no more than 20 minutes but it took me 45 minutes of driving in second gear and two hands on the steering wheel to make it to the ferry - I didn't slip or slide - just kept the speed down to around 40KPH and gave myself lots of room for braking - fortunately the other drivers were also being extra careful and I didn't need to do any sudden stops - the ferry left on time and by 12:30PM I was in Horseshoe Bay and home an hour or so later.

We did a number of work projects on Saturday - I signed up for a wood splitting job - a large fir tree on the property was diseased and had been felled so we were left with the task of downsiding the large pieces into smaller ones that can then be used in the stoves in the cabins.
It was a good day's labour and we were rewarded with adult beverages for a few hours in the evening - after a delicious roast beef and all the trimmings dinner we were entertained by a pick up band - Richard the Lodge owner plays the guitar and he has a few friends in the community who are alos musicians so they get together and do a jam session - this year they called themselves "Sing - a - long Pete and the Sheaves of Wheat.

Sunday we held the AGM - I was returned as Work Party co-ordinator which was expected as you usually stand for three years unless you want to move on to another position.

Shortly after I turned in for the night and after breakfast on Monday left for home - this is one AGM weekend that many of us won't forget for some time

More in the next post - this one is getting long.

D

Another view of the Yellowpoint Lodge - I will be leaving in about an hour - at present it is raining and it looks like I should make it over to the Island before it changes over to snow later this afternoon - so you won't get any more updates to this blog until I get back later Sunday evening so enjoy your weekend.

Cheers

D

Tomorrow I head over to Vancouver Island and two nights and three days at Yellowpoint Lodge near Ladysmith BC - it's all part of the Friends of Yellowpoint Lodge AGM - we are a volunteer organization that helps with a few extras projects for the keeping of the Lodge in great shape etc.

I am keeping an eye on the weather as it is expected to change for the worse tomorrow - it is cooling down - at present looks like snow won't be a major problem - it also will be be first time on the ferries since they dropped the rates by 1/3 for the next two months - that will save me about $40.00 and with gas at $0. 82 a liter that also has saved me some money.

As for today - I took my new bike in for it's 20 hour maintenance check and will be leaving shortly to go and pick it up across the Burrard Bridge and then it supper with the Big One at the Slocan Restaurant.

Still need to pack for the weekend trip but that shouldn't take too long - will need some of the cold weather clothing as most of our work projects will be outdoors although one of the bigger projects is the decorating of the Lodge's Christmas tree which will take a crew of a dozen or so the entire day - they also make ceder wreaths which we attach lights to and mount at various places in the lodge.

Cheers

D

Yesterday it was the annual Santa Claus parade here in downtown Vancouver and a large crowd estimated at around 300,000 was on hand for the event - my advantage point was near Howe and Nelson - we were about five deep here - lot's of young ones who would dart into the street every time they saw a sponsers mascot come along - one nice addition this year was some of the marching bands for the US - in previous years when the parade was held a couple of weeks earlier at the same time as the US Thanksgiving weekend it was near impossible for them to make an appearance.

The image is of one of the floats in this year's parade.

Also found time to head out to Metrotown for a little bit more Xmas shopping and to stop in at the gift wrapping which once again is being done by the YMCA Community Services department -I offered to help out but my wrapping skills are a little wanting so we agreed that it would probably be best for everyone that I not attempt to help out.

More later

D

Got a few things done today - started off by driving up to Cypress Mt - little to no snow at the ski base and hiked the Yew Lake trail and Old Growth trails - the picture above is of the new Ski Lodge which is set to open any day now. This will consolidate all services into one area and skiers will be able to ski right to the doors of the Lodge unlike now where you need to take your skis off to get to the services. The snow in the background of the images is man made - if you look closely you should see a small cloud - that is the snow blowers hard at work.

There was no one else on the trails but I suspect some people went up the Baden Powell trail towards Cabin Lake as I saw people heading in that direction.

Got home and checked the mail - got a 50% rebate for the dental work done in the States so that will give me a few more $$$ to spend.

Well almost supper time and then I guess I might just watch the Canucks - hopefully they can stop the slide tonight.

More later

D

Well I decided to get out on the bike after all and it was a pleasant but cool ride - headed east along False creek to near Science World and then took the Adanac bike route through Chinatown and Strathcona before turning left and heading for Alexander and Water Sts in Gastown - then along the Coal Harbour seawall to the Park Entrance and through to Second Beach - it was here that I met up with the 2 Chucks - Wright and Lew - long time Y members out for their walk - according to them it looks like there will not be a Santa Claus run/dinner this year as most of the organizers are either in Mexico or Palm Springs - From Second Beach into English Bay and a bite to eat and a newspaper read at the Davie St Golden Arches and then home.

Later I needed a little walk as I am starting to print out some contact sheets of the images from the trip and ran out of matte paper - for some reason my glossy paper is jamming my printer so that is something for me to work on later.

Hard to believe but 3 weeks from today is Xmas - have you done your Xmas shopping.

Looks like the Canucks are going to make it 4 straight losses as they are down 6 - 4 to Detroit late in the 3rd period.

Tomorrow if the weather is dry I might head up Cypress - want to check out the new Lodge and its related facilities and provided there isn't much snow on the ground perhaps a short walk along the Yew Lake trail.

Cheers

D

It's Thursday and cloudy here in Vancouver and I am off two minds as to what to do today - one mind says get on the bike and go for a ride - the other mind says held to Metro town for some shopping and the third option is to do nothing.

While I am trying to decide what to do perhaps I should phone Telus and find out why my bill is up a couple of $$ this month - the contract doesn't end for another month so their shouldn't be an increase - and it looks like they have some specials on right now that might actually save me some money next year.

Last night I attend the volunteer wind party for Arthur Griffiths campaign team - free booze and light snacks and a fairly good turnout - and yes the federal government mess was discussed - no one really likes Harper and most would like to see him gone but not all thought the coalition was a do idea and several didn't want Dion leading the charge as they were working for Iggy. Event wound up around 8PM just after Arthur announced that he won't be running in the gneral election in May and that the Liberals will need to find a new candidate - he will be supporting the new candidate both politically and financially.

More later

D

Actually just a short post to accompany this photo which was taken this afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf on the south side of False Creek.

Cheers

D

Well it was dry this morning so I got on the bike and did the False Creek loop - over the Burrard Bridge, down Cypress to the seaside bike trail and then followed it all the way to Science World passing the Olympic Athlete's village and the nice new seawall there.

After a quick lunch at Burger King it was back on the bike and the westward ride on the north side of False Creek to Hornby St and then up Hornby to the apartment.

It was a pleasant 12 Km of riding and the weather was quite nice.

Last Sunday I went for a drive out the valley - the weather was soggy - light rain but I did stop and take in Cliff Falls in Kanaka Creek Park in Maple Ridge - it's just a short 10 minute walk from the parking area to the Falls which are really flowing at this time.

The second stop was at the Railway trail head on Hayward Lake - have driven by a number of times but have never stopped and explored - so I grabbed the umbrella and walked the first 2 kms of the mostly level trail to get an idea for a longer bike/walk in the future. The image at the top is of some of the old railway trestle that used to run along the lake.

Took the Albion ferry across to the south side of the river and then home.

Tomorrow is Larry's - that's my brother- 60th birthday so I will be treating him to lunch and then in the evening there is a wind up volunteer party for those who helped the Arthur Griffiths by-election campaign - while Arthur didn't win it was a fun campaign to have been associated with - chance to renew some friendships and perhaps gain some more - I am sure that the mess in Ottawa will probably come up and it could be quite a discussion as there are people from all the major parties that volunteered for Arthur.

I am also starting to think about my excursions for my next cruise which is slated for February out of New Orleans. Also need to book Amtrak so that should keep me busy for a day or two.

More later

Cheers

Still raining here this morning although it has eased up from yesterday - not much planned for today - perhaps a little more Xmas shopping - yes I am one of those who likes to get it over a done with - got up the courage this morning to take a look at my pension portfolio and like I suspected it is not a pretty site - hopefully the worst is over and some of the value will return in the next month otherwise it will be either me stay in town and vegetate or draw down some of the reserve funds which are outside of the registered plans.

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D

This really is a much to do about nothing day - can't decide what to do - more Xmas shopping, go for a bike ride, go for a drive in the country - with the cheaper gas prices I can afford - at least for the time being - to run the truck more.

I guess I could sit back and watch the three NFL games that are on TV and then tonight the Canucks are playing - perhaps drive up Seymour or Cypress and a walk in the snow.

One thing that I will have to do in the near future is rearrange the contents of my storage locker - our strata has been using some lockers in an adjoining building for free but that building has decided that it either wants our users out of there or to start paying for the ones that we are using - at a Special strata meeting last night the owners decided to go for option B which is to divide our full length lockers in half thereby giving each owner his or her own locker except some of us have two much junk and will need to either get rid of some of it or rent a second locker except that I have a large bookcase that will be too large under either scenario - so i just might bring it up to the apartment and replace it for a couple of my smaller ones.

Decisions - decisions - decisions

Cheers

D

Sunny morning here - heading out shortly to have lunch with my brother and in one week he turns 60 - finally have all my digital stills and video transferred from my laptop to my desktop - next will be coming up with the "best of" files and then onto DVD for lasting memories.

Not much other to discuss so

Cheers

D

Raining here today on the west coast of Canada so it will be a good day to do some indoor things - before I forget - the picture at the top is taken from St Lucia in the Caribbean - it's of the Pitons one of the most recognizable natural features on that island.

The other picture most of you should recognize as well -I had a seven hour layover between trains in Washington DC and the weather was sunny but cool so instead of taking the hop on hop off bus I starting walking down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House then over to the Washington Monument and down the National Mall to the Congressional building and then back to Union Station - that took at little over 2 hours and then I basically spend my time in the first class lounge at Union station or exploring the Station which is an attraction all by itself.

The Xmas decorations have been brought up from the storage locker and will be put up over the next few days - Dec 1, 2008 is the allowable date for us to have any outside lights up and on.

Later I am heading out for coffee with some of the other retired old farts from the Y at a coffee shop on the North Shore. Usually try and see them about once a month and since I have been away their will probably be lots of BS to spread around.

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D

Things are finally starting to get back to normal in my everyday life although I am still waking up early - like 3 to 4 AM as the body clock is just starting to readjust to Pacific time.

Got the last of the digital photos transferred over to the desk top - next up will be the video and then it will be a project to come up with a small 100 photos and less than 30 minutes of video.

Didn't find the Grey Cup game yesterday all that exciting - yes it was close and in doubt until the final minutes but there have been more more thrilling games in recent years.

On the agenda for today includes getting my flu shot and stopping into the dentist to update him about my loose tooth episode in NYC.

Yesterday I did bike around the Stanley Park seawall - lots of people out and about and will either bike or hike somewhere today.

One of the upsides to the current financial downside is that with gas much cheaper I will be able to afford to drive to some of my favorite biking and hiking destinations a little further out.

Also good to see some snow on the North Shore mountains - might even do some snowshoeing on Grouse since they have two or three groomed trails and it doesn't cost me anything other than the shoe rental as the use of the trails is included with my annual Grouse pass.

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D

Well finally arrived home around 2:30PM on Thursday and have spent the last few days getting to know my bed, apartment, city etc.

Did 4 large loads of laundry and Friday and a little Xmas shopping as well.

Will need to work on putting over 1000 photos into a much smaller file and spend some time editing and joining the video files as well.

Weather today is clear and cool so I hope to make it out on the bike a little later - in checking the scales at my health club it looks like I only put on a couple of pounds and that might be from the train ride as there isn't much opportunity to move around on the train and the meals in the dining car are big.

Do hope to be back in time to catch the Grey Cup - with over 65,000 fans cheering on the hometown Montreal Als it should be noisy in the Big O today.

More later

D

Tuesday November 18, 2008 - Metropolitan Lounge Amtrak Station - Chicago - in a couple of hours I will be boarding the Empire Builder for the final two days of this trip - came through overnight from Washington DC - snow on the ground along much of the route but none on the ground in Chicago.

Spent my layover time in Washington DC walking from Union Station to the White House - no I didn't see George or that biting dog on the grounds - the over to the Washington Monument - down the National Mall to the Congress building and then back to the train station - had hoped to post from there but there server was down.

While cruising and the train rides are great three weeks is getting to be a long time to be away at one time not to think of the 6 or so loads of laundry that will have to be done when I get back.

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D

Well the cruise is over - it was a whirlwind 13 days at sea with visits to Samana in the Dominican Republic, St Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, Curacao and NCL's private island of Great Stirrup Cay - the weather for the most part was fine - a couple of brief tropical showers especially in Curacao - will post some thoughts later as it is almost time to leave for the train station and the trip home.

More later

Cheers

D